Coalition
by Avamys Write
Summary: Draco Malfoy is the turning point of the war. Not Harry Potter, not Ron Weasley or Hermione Granger. One-shot. First Potter fanfic.


Coalition

**A/N: Hi guys! This is my first Harry Potter fanfic, so I apologise in advance if the characters are a bit OOC. Nevertheless, please do not hesitate to give any comments or advice. Enjoy!**

Draco Malfoy.

The two words meant entirely different things for different people.

Draco Malfoy.

To Lucius, _it_ meant a new follower for Voldemort.

To Narcissa, _Draco_ was her beloved little boy.

To Bellatrix, _the boy_ meant a weak, insufferable fool.

To Dumbledore and Voldemort, well, _he_ was just a pawn in a larger game.

And to the Golden Trio, the _ferret_ was a cowardly yet unpredictable opponent.

No one, no one could have foreseen that Draco Malfoy, not Harry Potter or Ron Weasley or Hermione Granger, was going to be the turning point of the war.

Perhaps it was his mother's conscience and love which saved him. Perhaps it was his own. But one thing was very clear to Draco now.

He had to turn.

Voldemort saw him as nothing more than a simple pawn. No Death Eaters paid any heed to him. He was expendable, and ever since his failure to kill Dumbledore, he was more than disposable.

But whom could he turn to? Who would trust him? Draco Malfoy, the abominable crea—boy who terrorised half the school? The boy who _lived_ with the Dark Lord himself?

Snape, the ever-sharp man armed with extreme senses, sniffed out the instability in his godson almost immediately. Secretly, he had taught Draco Legilimency and Occlumency, and Draco had become a master at both.

But both men knew this was not enough. Meer skill would not save the boy for long.

So the professor gave Draco a name.

'She will understand." He whispered, black robes billowing as he swept past his godson in one of the many halls. "This person is the only one who has brains out of the lot."

Draco Malfoy was not convinced, but even he knew when to simply listen to his godfather.

"I'll do it." He whispered back hoarsely, his gaze sweeping the hall for eavesdroppers. "I…I just hope it will work."

Draco Malfoy was not one to display moments of weakness.

But Snape understood, having gone through it himself.

Nodding grimly, he gave the hall one final check for spies before leaving.

Two days later…

Hermione Granger, the know-it-all, stared incredulously at the broken person before her.

Draco Malfoy had appeared beside her suddenly in her house, and she had nearly hexed him to death.

But, as the ever-smart girl, she quickly spotted that Malfoy was: 1. Not carrying a wand and 2. Trying to avoid her hexes, not fighting back, restraining her or casting shield charms.

And once she looked into his eyes, she knew something was wrong.

Draco didn't waste a second. He spilled everything out. From how he was pressured into joining the Death Eaters by his father and aunt, to what he knew of Voldemort's plans and which people were currently residing at Malfoy Manor.

Needless to say, Hermione Granger was shocked. She had silently and wandlessly cast a truth spell, so she knew that Malfoy was not lying.

"Why?" she asked simply.

"Why what?" Malfoy responded dumbly, finally relieved of the huge pressure on his shoulders. He was aware how calmly the girl took the news. It made him wonder what was actually going on in her head. But if he used Legilimency, all would be over.

And Draco Malfoy did not fancy being hexed to death by Hermione Granger, one third of the Golden Trio. So he waited patiently.

"Why did you decide to turn? Why did you come here? Why did you tell me everything?" she pressed.

"I do have a somewhat fragile conscience." He admitted. "Though it may have been rubbed off by my mother. And I do have a sense of self-preservation. I don't want to die. I don't want to live in that loathsome house ever again and I don't want to live with _them_. Every day I wake up happy that _I'm still alive_." He growled.

"I've had enough." He ranted. "I've had enough of the repugnant smell of those detestable creatures."

Silence.

"He told me you would understand." The blond man said, out of breath. "He told me you would."

Silence again.

"…I…I must admit that this is quite…sudden. But…I…I think I trust you." The female part of the Golden Trio said.

'_You don't _think_ you trust him.' A voice nagged at the back of her mind. 'You know you do. You cast a _truth spell_, for Merlin's sake!'_

"Is this a trap?" she asked cautiously, knowing that her spell was still well in effect.

"No." he replied quickly. "Not at all."

"Are there any Death Eaters who know you're here?"

"Yes."

Hermione's eyes widened as she grabbed her wand and cast numerous revealing spells, her heartbeat increasing and adrenaline pumping into her veins.

"It's not like that." Draco said quickly, as Hermione scanned her surroundings and started to plot escape routes.

"Only Snape knows."

Hermione relaxed, knowing that Snape was a spy and double agent.

Slowly, she sat down and loosened the grip on her wand ever so slightly.

Biting her lip, it was a few moments before the girl made up her mind.

"I can help you." She decided, turning to him. "But I want you to swear it on your life."

"Swear what?"

"That you will not hurt or kill any Order members or neutral persons in any way, that you will not turn on us and betray the Order to Voldemort, that you will not give any information concerning the Order, Order meetings and Order members to anyone. Swear that you will not work for Voldemort or the Death Eaters in any way, and that you will not withhold any information concerning Voldemort and the Death Eaters, such as their living arrangements, daily routines, plans or habits from the Order." Hermione paused as she went over what she just said.

"Swear that you will no longer practice the Dark Arts and will cut off all contact with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Swear that you will not administer any potion, curse, spell or hex onto an Order member or a neutral party. Swear it. On your life." She said, satisfied that she had covered everything.

"In return," Draco said slowly as he took everything in. "I want you to swear on your life that you will not let any Order member, or Death Eaters or yourself, for the matter, kill me or hurt me in any way. Swear that you will not hand me over to Voldemort or the Death Eaters. Swear that you will help me to the best of your ability."

Thinking for a few seconds, Hermione agreed with a curt nod.

"I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, swear on my life that I will not betray any information whatsoever concerning the Order and its members or plans, as well as neutral persons to Voldemort or the Death Eaters. I swear that I will not hurt any Order members or neutral persons in any way. I swear that I will not betray the Order and turn back to Voldemort or the Death Eaters, or practice any Dark Arts. This I swear on my life."

"I, Hermione Jean Granger, swear on my life that I will not let any Order member or Death Eater kill or hurt Draco Lucius Malfoy in any way. I swear that I myself will not kill or hurt Draco Lucius Malfoy in any way. I swear that I will not hand him over to Voldemort or the Death Eaters, and that I will help him to the best of my ability. This I swear on my life."

With that, Hermione stuck out her hand. Draco shook it gladly, as twirls of magic glittered around their hands and vanished into the air.

'_This is the start of a beautiful coalition.' He thought to himself, smirking._


End file.
